-2017 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2017 Draft Kit
Anthony Fasano is back with the Dolphins after spending some seasons with the Chiefs and Titans. A mercenary as a No. 2 tight end, he's good for about two touchdowns and 200 yards per season. That's not going to help you become the talk of your Fantasy league. Don't draft Fasano.
Dwayne Allen will play for the Patriots after the Colts traded him away in mid-March. Once considered the top tight end in Indy, Allen has been fairly involved in the red zone but light on yardage, averaging under 30 yards per game. The only way Allen will have a chance to be as productive as Martellus Bennett was last season is if Rob Gronkowski misses significant playing time. Otherwise, Allen is only a late-round insurance policy in case Gronk goes down with an injury.
Mychal Rivera signed with the Jaguars this offseason, where he could be the starter with Julius Thomas now in Miami. Rivera showed some flashes of potential during his first two seasons with the Raiders in 2013 and 2014 when he had 96 catches for 941 yards and eight touchdowns over that span, but he's struggled the past two seasons with a combined 50 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns. We need to see Rivera win the starting tight end job in Jacksonville and then prove himself before Fantasy owners can rely on him, but he could be a waiver wire add during the season if he start off playing well.
The Bears signed free agent tight end Dion Sims to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason, including $10 million guaranteed, and he's expected to compete with Zach Miller for playing time. We expect Miller to be the better receiving tight end, but Sims should see plenty of playing time based on his ability to block. He's coming off a career year with the Dolphins where he had 26 catches for 256 yards and four touchdowns, but it's doubtful he's going to develop into a standout Fantasy option with this move to Chicago. Sims is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues.
Darren Fells signed with the Lions this offseason, and he's expected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Eric Ebron. Fells has proven to be more of a blocker than a receiver during his tenure with the Cardinals over the past three seasons, and he only had 14 catches for 154 yards and one touchdown in 2016. Fells is not worth drafting in the majority of Fantasy leagues. That said, the early returns out of Detroit is that Eric Ebron is banged up again and Fells has been looking like a beast. As such, you should keep him in the back of your mind for a cheap/desperation weekly fantasy option as a fill-in if he starts the regular season hot.
Escobar is signing a one-year contract with the Chiefs, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports. Escobar arrived in Kansas City for a visit Friday, and apparently management liked what he showed them. After entering the league as a second-round pick in 2013, Escobar struggled to make much of an impact behind future Hall of Famer Jason Witten, registering only 30 catches for 333 yards and eight touchdowns in 62 games. Although playing with a tight-end-friendly quarterback like Alex Smith could bode well for Escobar, having Pro Bowler Travis Kelce on the roster will again restrict him to a reserve role.
Traded to Miami this offseason, Julius Thomas will attempt to resurrect his career with Adam Gase, who was his playcaller during his heydays in Denver. When asked about Thomas, Gase said he would make "a little bit of a difference" in the offense. To his credit, Thomas is healthy after a couple of injury-plagued seasons in Jacksonville that saw the tight end catch nine touchdowns and average 35.0 yards in 21 games. A touchdown-or-bust tight end with a track record of missing games, Thomas would need to stay healthy and see an uptick in end-zone targets in order to regain some Fantasy value. He's worth a late-round flier as a speculative second tight end, though if you really like the Dolphins' early-season schedule, which isn't too tough, you could conceivably begin with him as your starter.
Lance Kendricks signed as a free agent with the Packers this offseason, and he will be the No. 3 tight end behind Martellus Bennett and Richard Rodgers. Kendricks is coming off a career season with the Rams in 2016 when he had 50 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns on 88 targets. We expect those stats to come way down barring an injury to Bennett or Rodgers, and Kendrick is not worth drafting in the majority of leagues.
Martellus Bennett appears to be a smart man with his football career. After one season with Tom Brady, where he won a Super Bowl and filled in admirably for an injured Rob Gronkowski, he moved on as a free agent to Green Bay, where he will play with Aaron Rodgers. Those are arguably two of the best quarterbacks of all time, and Bennett will look to remain a viable Fantasy option with the Packers in 2017. In New England, Bennett was the No. 7 Fantasy tight end with 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns on 73 targets, and he will replace the departed Jared Cook as the starter for the Packers. Rodgers hasn't relied consistently on his tight ends in Green Bay -- Jermichael Finley in 2011, Richard Rodgers in 2015 and Cook in the NFL playoffs last year are the prominent options that come to mind -- and we see Bennett taking a slight step back with his production. He's a low-end starter at best, and he's only worth drafting with a late-round pick in most formats.
Williams (concussion) signed with the Colts on Monday. Williams arrives in Indianapolis after the team traded tight end Dwayne Allen earlier this offseason. With only Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope remaining at the position, Williams adds depth to the Colts' options, even though his four-year totals of six receptions for 80 yards are rather uninspiring.
Jared Cook is moving from Green Bay to Oakland, where he'll try to not be a Fantasy letdown. Cook should have put together one of his best seasons yet playing with Aaron Rodgers last year, but injuries limited him to another sub-400 yard season with one touchdown. He did perk up in the postseason, catching 18 of 32 targets for 229 yards and a pair of scores. That's what probably got him work in Oakland, where he'll provide relief in the red zone and in the middle of the field for Derek Carr. It's another situation where Cook should get some nice stats, but his track record is too well known. He's not worth drafting outside of deep, deep redraft leagues.